1. Blackberry.Tour's Avatar
    If so, say "I". Just kidding. But who thinks that its good for teens to get BB's? Of course, I think their should be some rules to it, such as the teen working for it and willing to take good care of it and, and obvious one, getting it for the right reason. Not just that they can look rich and cool, but because they earned it and acctually use the apps. I think calander and the contacts and things of course are useful to everyone (unless your under 12, of course. Then you probably aren't busy at all), but so is using internet anywhere cell service is. I know many times I've hated that my iPod Touch only can use WiFi, I can't use it anywhere.

    Please post your opinions. It would be greatly appriciated if you kept them nice and rude-comment free. I know I'm one of many who put "BlackBerries are for Teens Too!" in their signature, but I'd like to stretch that out a bit. Please post!
    08-08-09 11:45 AM
  2. Sighx's Avatar
    Well, I got a BlackBerry when I was 19.. LoL. I'm only 21 now. So not much of a difference, but I ddin't get it solely because I wanted to look cool. Geez, I started with a Pearl and that phone looked hidious to me, but I still liked it. Finally updated my Pearl to Storm when it arrived.

    To me honestly.. I think I'm too use to using a blackberry to go back to the regular nokia's or motorola phones.

    EDIT: I HATE MY IPOD TOUCH TOO!!! LOOKING FOR WIRELESS INTERNET! LOL ): Its impossible to get free wifi anywhere.
    08-08-09 11:51 AM
  3. Guardzero's Avatar
    My opinion is if they can pay for it themselves they probably have just enough responsibility to need one.
    08-08-09 11:56 AM
  4. tacsniper's Avatar
    As long as they can afford to buy the phone and pay the bill and not do stupid things in class that will distract others around then, then go ahead. I hate it when other people around me text on their phone for 2 hours out of a 3 hour lecture!! I can understand a few messages.... but 2 hours!! Might as well skip class and hangout with their friends.

    As for using the phone to its full potential... well its a good organizer and a great phone to text, so I can see people get the phone w/o data and I am ok with that too if they can't afford it, don't add it to the plan.
    Last edited by tacsniper; 08-08-09 at 12:05 PM.
    08-08-09 11:59 AM
  5. Blackberry.Tour's Avatar
    Its impossible to get free wifi anywhere.
    I know, its aggrivating

    But, then, BlackBerry is the savior from being without internet 24/7 All hail Berry
    08-08-09 12:04 PM
  6. jakeboyer11's Avatar
    My personal opinion is that no child needs a cell phone until they are 16 or are driving. Where are your children going before then that you don't know about. They need a ride there and a ride home so I see now point for a child to have a phone if they aren't driving.
    Also, if they are 16, they won't get a BB unless they have a job and are willing to pay for the data feature. I'm not going to be paying for them to go on FB and Twitter or what have you while in school.

    Again just my opinion
    08-08-09 12:05 PM
  7. Blackberry.Tour's Avatar
    ^^^ I agree, but because my parents work and I live in a small town, I'm always at friends houses and school and sports, and I can't walk to their offices in between each activity to tell them what I'm doing. Hence the cell phone. I understand where your comign from, though. I don't disagree.
    08-08-09 12:09 PM
  8. lakergirl23's Avatar
    My opinion is if they can pay for it themselves they probably have just enough responsibility to need one.
    Agreed. If they don't have a job then I don't see why they really need one

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-08-09 12:12 PM
  9. dejesusj's Avatar
    im 17 and have a blackberry, and so do most of my friends. its just a cool phone so i decided to try it out. i started it out with a sidekick at around age 14 but i got tired of that, so i decided to jump to the blackberry because i like the style of the phone. i dont really care much for the organizer, i dont have a job to keep schedule of, i only take 4 classes at school..so dont care much for the organizer features, but i do like a phone that can browse the web and has a full werty kyboard to text, and looks cool it really doesnt matter if a teen has a blackberry, i mean why not? these days every teen you see as an iphone, blackberry, or sidekick. no one really uses the simple flip phones anymore, phones are kind of more of a accessory than a need for teens. i mean seriously, how many teens use the organizer feature? itsj ust the text and web and teh style of the phone that calls our attention. just my opinion.
    Jerale Hoard likes this.
    08-08-09 12:14 PM
  10. evilmonkey1987's Avatar
    The way I see it, there is no real reason for anyone under 21 to have a blackberry, unless they are running a business. All modern phones have calendars, task lists, and other organizer tools. Unless these kids are running a business, they don't need email and data.

    I got my first cell phone at 18, when I started driving. I had a Motorola V220 for about a year and a half, then an HTC Touch (no data plan) for another year and a half. Now that my three year contract is up, I got a blackberry curve.

    I'm 22 and doing law school, so I figure it'd be useful to keep in touch with classmates for projects and the like. I have no browsing plan, just email. And I survived high school, undergrad, and running a small internet business without a blackberry. I will admit though when I ran my websites, I wish I had a data device.
    08-08-09 12:14 PM
  11. GoT_BB's Avatar
    Honestly to them blackberries are the new sidekicks
    08-08-09 12:17 PM
  12. Sledge86's Avatar
    My first cell phone was a StarTac that my folks gave me when I started driving. It was already outdated when I got it, but it gave me good motivation to get good grades and get a job so I could afford to upgrade myself. I only got a BB when I turned 23, and I was already on my own plan for over 2 years at that point. I can understand teens having phones, but it drives me right up a wall to see a kid who looks no older than 10-12 texting away on a phone I couldn't afford until I was twice their age. IMO, around 15-16 is a good rule of thumb (of course, there are always execptions- sports, after-school activities, etc.)

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-08-09 12:20 PM
  13. dejesusj's Avatar
    "Honestly to them blackberries are the new sidekicks"

    i agree, the sidekick used to be the IN phone but it did get old and so more people switched to the blackberry, its just a phase for teens, the sidekick is out, now the blackberry is in. until they com up with a better and more stylish phone for every teen to go after
    08-08-09 12:20 PM
  14. Ter1990's Avatar
    Just my 2 cents...
    I think i all depends on the child. I have 2 totally opposite children. My daughter got her first (dumb) phone when she was 15. Handled it totally irresponsibly and had to "ground" her from it many times. It was given to her prior to her getting her license to show her some responsibility. Would much rather her screw up with a phone than a car.
    I no longer have a landline so my son got a phone a year ago at 13. He has been much more responsible with it. He uses it mainly to call/text me and other family members. When he has a new friend he wants to talk to, he asks me to add that number as a F/F number BEFORE he starts chatting away.
    As far as a child not having any reason to have a phone until they are driving (what do that have to do until they are 16 anyway?)....
    My son is involved with several activities. I cannot always wait thru practice or things such as that. There are not pay phones easily accessable for him to call when they are done. On top of that, he is home alone while i am at work. I can't always take a call at work when he needs to ask a question (like "can i go over to so-and-so's house" or "can you grab some milk on your way home"). So he just texts me and when i can i answer back. I can very well seeing him getting a smartphone of some kind in the not so distant future. He is already (at 14) getting some leads on summer jobs with his friends (making more than enough for the phone and save enough for a car). He uses my blackberry often when we are sitting at a restaurant, or in a waiting room. The other functions would work well for him, such as the planner, music player, tasks, etc.

    Again... it all depends on the child.
    08-08-09 12:25 PM
  15. kslee's Avatar
    I do think it depends on the kid but I also believe that as a general rule of thumb, the kid should be driving age before he or she gets a phone, especially one like a blackberry if not older. Kids these days just seem to expect to be handed everything they want. I didn't get a phone till I was in high school and ready to start driving and I only got a blackberry as a graduation present. And this isn't coming from someone in their 30s and older, I'm 19 and going into my second year of college. I had no need for a phone till I started driving and my sister threw a fit until she got a phone because "all her friends at school have one" she doesn't even use the thing, let alone keep it charged. She just wanted one to say she had a phone, I'm sure many other kids have done the same thing.
    08-08-09 12:38 PM
  16. Prelude5thG's Avatar
    I would have to agree it would depend on the child my example...

    I have a niece who is 14 and got a BB for Xmas her reasoning for it was "all my friends have it, it's the thing to have, she would fit in better". I also have another niece who is 17 who has one and her reasoning was "she has a internship at a salon and it helps her stay organized, she also has a little side business (doing hair) that it helps her with, once school starts it will help her with school, her internship, her school projects and activities plus she said it's a bada** phone it does it all"
    08-08-09 12:44 PM
  17. Reed McLay's Avatar
    No.

    BlackBerrys make teens a target of mugging and violence.

    Just this week, a teen near Vancouver have been charged with murder over a "phone" mugging gone wrong.

    B.C. boy makes 1st court appearance on murder charge

    B.C. boy makes 1st court appearance on murder charge

    A 14-year-old boy made his first court appearance Friday on charges related to the fatal stabbing of a Surrey, B.C., father Wednesday evening.

    ...

    Proulx told CBC News that McGowan was trying to protect his son when he was killed.
    ...
    someone came to their door and told him some teenagers had stolen his son's cellphone and there was trouble.
    ...
    08-08-09 12:45 PM
  18. tehBrad's Avatar
    I got my first Blackberry when i was 13 and am now 14. I believe a Blackberry is really helpful and just pure awesome . I have one since i asked for my birthday. I love it!
    I think any teen would love a Blackberry!
    i do not pay for my blackberry
    Last edited by tehBrad; 08-08-09 at 12:52 PM.
    08-08-09 12:49 PM
  19. brandonscott's Avatar
    No.

    BlackBerrys make teen a target of mugging and violence.

    Just this week, two teens near Vancouver have been charged with murder over a "phone" mugging gone wrong.

    B.C. boy makes 1st court appearance on murder charge


    I really hope you are kidding

    Seriously? You can be "mugged" for any reason. Has nothing to do with BlackBerrys.

    Are you saying kids shouldn't get TVs? Because if someone breaks in they could hurt someone over the TV!!!!!
    08-08-09 12:58 PM
  20. The Siege's Avatar
    Being a teenager myself I believe that a teenager, as long as they have.a good track record of being responsible, should be able to own a blackberry. I also pay the 30 dollars for data each month

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-08-09 01:03 PM
  21. breakdanzer's Avatar
    Well i have a iphone 3g currently and I plan on switching to the blackberry onyx/merlin when it is released, but the reason I think that the blackberry suits teens is because it is more reliable for texting and bbm just rocks....and who really needs all those game apps that u get on the iphone?
    08-08-09 01:30 PM
  22. BB.Nick's Avatar
    It really depends. I'm 17 and I got my first BB about two weeks ago, and i'll be a senior in high school come fall. I think the blackberry is great, especially because things get horribly busy once the school year starts. My BB will allow me to keep track of all my due dates, rehearsal schedules. It's a great organizer, and with heading to college next fall it can only do more to keep someone like me organized. Sure it has it's specs that make it look cool and what not, but for someone who lives such a busy life like I do, blackberries are great and I think anyone who can benefit from one as much as I'm sure I will should get one. They're great phones.
    08-08-09 01:31 PM
  23. Reed McLay's Avatar
    I really hope you are kidding

    Seriously? You can be "mugged" for any reason. Has nothing to do with BlackBerrys.

    Are you saying kids shouldn't get TVs? Because if someone breaks in they could hurt someone over the TV!!!!!
    I am not kidding, my Grandsons live near there. Youth violence is an issue, particularly in suburan communities.

    My teenaged grandson knows better, when we talked about a BlackBerry, he replied that it would make him a target. His cheap flip phone, not so much.
    08-08-09 01:45 PM
  24. davidnc's Avatar
    I guess looking at this topic in more details its kinda tough to throw all younger people into the same bunch because some are more "mature" ,willing to work ,responsible and not as "careless" with property on the other side of the coin some just don't care and want everything gave to them , like its a given right.
    So I would say it would depend on that person and how they would arrange some kind of "paying the Bill" but thats up to the parent and kid, its not like I am paying their Bill , I could not resist a lil bit of humor throwed in .
    But seriously its kinda sad to read what Reed posted I know someone who got beat up and robbed for nothing they was not flashing any Blackberry or even dressed above casual clothing, just wrong place at wrong time .Just goes to stay alert and then even ... :|
    Last edited by DavidNC; 08-08-09 at 03:17 PM.
    08-08-09 03:11 PM
  25. Clavs1's Avatar
    I had a sidekick 3 when I was 18 to 19 then I upgraded to a curve and had it for the past 2 years. Going to an onyx now, I got addicted to blackberry, but the only reason I got a sidekick was 'cause of the key bored. And when I saw I can get a better data plan with blackberry plus a keybored...I went for it. And I'm glad I did.

    I think Blackberry is for everyone that has use for it if they or their parents have the money. It's a great phone.
    08-08-09 07:36 PM
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